David & Goliath
The round of 32 offers the classic cup duel in this year’s version of the Copa del Rey. If Atletico Astorga v Sevilla is seen as having no chance in betting odds of any kind, there’s a reason for that. It doesn’t get much closer to the famous story of David & Goliath.
The mere fact that there is little information about the hosts in German-speaking countries shows the direction in which the game is heading. A representative of the regional fifth division will face the record Europa League winners. Accordingly, Atletico Astorga and Sevilla are not just odds opposites
Only on recent form can the Whites score points. FC have lost three of their last five games. The hosts have only done so once. Understandably, that hardly changes the predictions for Atletico Astorga against Sevilla
Atletico Astorga – stats & current form
In a rather manageable season, the big highlight now awaits the Lions. They face the prestigious Sevilla FC. It will probably be a party, especially for the spectators
No Names
Atlético Astorga Fútbol Club opened its doors in 1944. Since then, they have been bobbing around in the no-man’s land of the Spanish soccer pyramid. They currently compete in Group 8 of the Tercera Federación.
This corresponds to the fifth level and includes, in Group 8, the B teams of Mirandés and Ponferradina, as well as Salamanca. It is therefore difficult to speak of absolute top teams, although it must be mentioned that Group 8 is nominally one of the least known.
Unfortunately for those who support the Whites, their performances to date are even more meaningless than the names of their opponents. After 13 rounds, they are in 14th place, with the first of three relegation places just a few points away
Old at the front and young at the back
Despite everything, the Lions are good for surprises. In the preliminary round of the Copa, they eliminated Andorra 1-0, who are not only the club of ex-Barca defender Gerard Piqué, but are currently in the Segunda Division, the second tier.
This is probably primarily a criticism of the performance of the men from the mountains, but in the end games have to be won by the nominally smaller team. Experience in the forward line is probably a great help here.
With an average age of roughly 26.0 years, the age distribution is quite interesting. Abdou Thiao is 22, his colleagues are between 30 and 36 and together they have scored seven of the eleven goals in the league. The defense can’t keep up with their 20-27, but their strength will probably last longer. That can definitely help if you want to upset a big team.
Predicted line-up of Atletico Astorga:
Garcia – Herrador, Fernández, Manso, Lopes, Calvo – Álvarez, Albertín, Crespo, Quintana – Thiao
Sevilla – Statistics & current form
It’s one of those classic cup games with a stomach ache. Things are going slowly in the league and now a midget is coming. For once, nothing can go wrong, can it?
Drought
The fact that these ulterior motives can exist in the minds of the Sevillistas is mainly due to their daily bread, i.e. La Liga. There, the Nerviones are struggling through the league. After 14 rounds, they are outside the top 10 and, far worse, well behind the unloved Béticos.
Winning, in particular, is currently extremely difficult. They have just two wins and seven draws to their name. The last win in the league came on September 26. The Red & Whites ran out 5:1 winners against Almería. Since then, they have not won a single game in eight matches.
If all competitions, i.e. league, cup and Champions League, are combined, the situation is even wilder. With the exception of the 3:0 win against Quintanar de la Orden (6th division), the Andalusians have not won in twelve games. So it’s classic “the worm is in it”
Inefficient
If there’s one thing that can cancel out the tip 2 for Atletico Astorga against Sevilla, it’s the visitors’ lack of coolness. A look at the past matches quickly reveals the big problem.
The defense and offense complement each other in the worst possible way. There was only one game in the Copa during the aforementioned drought without conceding a goal. All other games were played with goals conceded.
This results in a total of 16:19 goals (20:20 overall). So there is a lack of both offensive power and defensive stability. However, this should be less of a challenge against an opponent from performance level five. However, it is also clear that if Sevilla fail to score in time, nerves could become a factor.
Predicted Sevilla line-up:
Dmitrović – Pedrosa, Gudelj, Nianzou, Sanchez – Rakitić, Soumaré, Sow – Lukébakio, En-Nesyri, Ocampos
Atletico Astorga – Sevilla head-to-head / H2H result
Direct duels have not been recorded in the recent past. What is a clear sign, however, is the form of the men from Andalusia. The last time they finished in this round was in 2014. So they are not completely unfamiliar with the competition. It therefore seems very unlikely that Atletico Astorga will take the odds by surprise against Sevilla.
Atletico Astorga – Sevilla betting tip
Atletico Astorga and Sevilla are both predicted to win. Anything other than a win for the visitors would probably be one of the biggest cup sensations in recent history. Due to their meagre performances in the league, the competition is likely to be used to relieve frustration. That could turn out to be more significant
For us, Atletico Astorga vs Sevilla is tip 2, but it doesn’t bring any odds and so we combine it with a goal bet to increase the odds. The gap is striking and so the price is more likely to be the amount of the victory
